


How It Ought To Be

by lilly_the_kid



Category: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Honeymoon, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, So Married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-01-04 16:42:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21200840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilly_the_kid/pseuds/lilly_the_kid
Summary: This wasn't really how it usually went and he felt a bit out of his element.Rick is contemplating their relationship.





	1. Rick Knew Cliff

**Author's Note:**

> This is turning into a longer story.

Rick Dalton knew Cliff Booth. 

"Come on now! We gotta g-get going," Rick said as he walked into the living room. Cliff looked up from where he was sitting, leafing through a comic book. "I've been ready for over ten minutes." He put the comic book on the couch table and got up.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man. Let's go." He turned around and walked towards the door. "Yes, boss," Cliff said and gave Rick a pat on the ass. Rick slapped at his hand but he also laughed.

After the party they were both slightly drunk. Cliff let Brandy out in the yard. He sat down on the patio and lit a cigarette. Rick came out with a whiskey in his hand. He sat down as well. "I'm p-pretty sure I'll get the p-part," he said. "Mmh," Cliff replied.

Rick looked at him. "What? You don't think so?" "Of course, I think you'll get it." Cliff took a deep drag. Then he whistled and Brandy came running back. "Let's go to bed," he said and put out his cigarette. Rick looked after him and knew that that was all Cliff would say about this. At least for now. He sighed and finished his drink. After a few minutes he went inside.

Rick had known Cliff for over nine years. In all those years he had learned quite a few things about the other man. Some of those things were simple little details like which brand of beer Cliff liked best. Or which kind of gum he preferred.

Other things he had learned weren't so simple. Like the fact that Cliff would sometimes do things and not say one word about them. Like that time he had split up with his wife. That was all he ever told Rick. They had split up and that was that. 

Rick was aware of the rumours, of course, and he didn't exactly blame most people for believing them. But he wasn't most people and he knew Cliff. And knowing Cliff meant that somtimes a one sentence answer is all you're going to get. And you just had to trust that and let it go.

Rick put away the empty glas and went to brush his teeth. When he entered the bedroom Cliff seemed already half asleep. Rick settled in beside him. "I meant it," Cliff said. "I'm sure you'll get the part." There was a pause and Rick waited. "It's just that," Cliff continued slowly. "I think Polanski is a weird guy and you should watch out."

Rick considered this. "Alright," he said after a while. Because the thing was that many people thought Cliff was weird and even creepy, but Rick knew that Cliff had a really good eye for exactly this in other people. Whatever that might mean. 

Later that night Rick woke up. He blinked, not sure what was going on. Then he heard Cliff mumbling in his sleep. He looked over. Cliff seemed upset. Rick waited a moment. 

"Hey!" he said. He knew better than to touch Cliff when he was like this. That was something he had learned the hard way. The first time this had happened he had ended up with a bloody nose. And an even more upset Cliff. 

And that had been before the Hippie weirdo attack. It had been one of the first times Cliff had spent the night at Rick's place. Rick had woken up to Cliff having a nightmare and he had put his hand on Cliff's shoulder. 

He had been about to shake him when Cliff had almost jumped out of his skin. Two seconds later Rick had been holding his nose, blood seeping through his fingers. 

Rick knew it was best not to get too close right now.

He sat up. "Hey!" he repeated a bit louder. And even louder. "C-come on, man, wake up!" Cliff opened his eyes and sat up. His eyes darted around the room, no doubt checking for intruders. "Noones's here," Rick said. "It was just a d-dream." 

Cliff ran a hand through his hair. "Sorry, man," he said. "No worries," Rick said. He didn't ask what the dream was about. He had a pretty good idea when he saw Cliff's hand touching his hip right where the knife had been. 

\----------

Rick actually did get the part. A few weeks later he and Cliff were working on an actual Polanski movie. Rick was thrilled, but also really nervous. Even though Cliff was officially his stunt man, on some days he mostly made sure that Rick wouldn't lose it completely.

Most days, however, things were fine. More than fine, actually. Rick was happy with his part and he was happy with how things had turned out in general. After the whole attempted Hippie murder thing his life had been complete and utter chaos. 

For one, Francesca had left for Italy pretty much right away. Then there had been all the news coverage and the sudden media attention had taken its toll on his already frayed nerves. But most importantly for a moment he had thought that he had lost Cliff forever. 

When he had run into the house looking for Francesca and seeing Cliff on the ground, not moving, he had felt as though his heart had just stopped. He had knelt down beside Cliff and when he had felt a faint pulse he had started crying with relief. 

He had looked up after a while and had seen Francesca in the doorway looking at him. "Is he alive?" she had asked and when Rick had nodded she had smiled. She had looked relived but also sad and he had understood that she knew.

Rick knew that many people didn't like Cliff. They thought he was creepy. "I hate the way he looks at you, you know, when you walk into a room," Rick had overheard another stunt man saying once. 

Rick knew that Cliff always liked to be able to see all exits and entrances of the room he was in. Cliff didn't like sitting with his back to the door. Rick had asked him about it once. 

"It's something you learn in combat that becomes like second nature," Cliff had said. "You have to know your surroundings, know where everyone is and know how to get out fast." He had taken another drag from his cigarette. "You have to do all that or you're dead. Simple as that."

So Rick understood for the most part why people would come to dislike Cliff because of this. It still bothered him, though. After all, if Cliff hadn't been what he was and if he hadn't done what he couldn't help but doing, Rick would probably be dead now.

After shooting was done for the day they drove home. Cliff still drove Rick everywhere. Once his injury had healed they had gone right back to the way things had been before. It had seemed like the thing to do.

Cliff and Brandy had moved in with Rick and that was that. They hadn't really talked about it and it worked. You don't need to fix something that's not broken, as far as Rick was concerned.

"You wanna pick up some pizza? Maybe watch a movie later?" Cliff asked. "Yeah, let's do that," Rick said. He thought about when they had watched his FBI episode together. That seemed like a million years ago. 

\-----------

"That's bullshit," Cliff said and put his empty beer bottle down. They were watching some war movie that had happened to be on. 

Rick grabbed another slice. "What is?" he asked. "Pretty much all of it," Cliff said and got up. "You want another beer?" "Sure," Rick said. 

Cliff returned with two more bottles and sat back down next to Rick. They kept watching in silence for a bit. "See, that's what I mean," Cliff said after a while. "It doesn't really matter how good you are. Even the best can just have a bad fucking day and run out of luck and then that's that." 

Rick looked over at Cliff. "Well, yeah," he said. "B-but it's just a movie. They're all b-bullshit. H-hell, you ought to know." Cliff shrugged. "I do," he said. "But still." He didn't say anything else, but Rick was quite sure that this wasn't about some movie at all.

Rick drank some more beer and fiddled with the label. "You know," he said. "Just b-because you can run out of luck just like that, d-doesn't mean you will." He looked at Cliff. This wasn't really how it usually went and he felt a bit out of his element.

Usually Cliff was the one to reassure him. Usually Rick was freaking out and overthinking things and getting caught up in just how many ways everything could go to shit. And then Cliff would be so calm and so sure and say just the right thing. 

And Rick knew just how good that felt. To have someone make everything better with just a few words and he felt that he owed Cliff to at least try. He smiled. "I mean we've b-been pretty fucking lucky so f-far." 

Cliff looked back at him for what felt like an eternity. Then he smiled as well. "Well," he said. "You got me there." Then he put down his beer and leaned over. He kissed Rick and slowly pushed him back on the couch until he was settled on top of him.

"Who cares about some stupid movie anyway, right?" 

\----------

"You don't have to stick around," Cliff said, getting ready for his shoot. "Get something to eat or take a nap or whatever." "Nah," Rick said. "I d-don't mind."

In the scene Rick's character was in a fight in which he would eventually be overpowered by the other character. Cliff and the other stuntman did take after take and it all went smoothly. Cliff took a few hits to his ribs when the other guy didn't quite pull his punches. Rick saw it and frowned. But since Cliff made no note of it, he let it go.

At last they did the shots in which Rick's character got overpowered by the other guy. There was a quick succession of blows and then the other guy would sweep Cliff's feet and Cliff would land on his back. Then the other guy would straddle Cliff and hold him down. End of scene.

They did a couple of takes and Rick was watching from the side. He noticed Cliff getting more and more tense with each take. This was totally lost on anyone else on set, but Rick knew Cliff. And Cliff was very close to losing it.

Rick knew that Cliff was a fucking war hero. He knew that because Cliff had told him some stuff. And he had seen the scars. 

Rick knew another thing about Cliff that might have had something to do with the war. He could only guess, though, because Cliff hadn't talked about it. It was something that Rick had noticed during one of the first times they had fooled around. 

The first few times they had done this it was something quick and rushed on set. One evening, however, they were at Rick's place and had made their way into the bedroom. 

They had both been drunk, Cliff more so than Rick and they had more or less fallen onto the bed with Rick on top of Cliff. Rick had straddled Cliff, had put his hands on Cliff's wrists and had leaned down to kiss him. Then he had noticed something.

Cliff hadn't liked being held down. He hadn't said anything, but Rick had noticed how his mouth had tightend slightly. His hands had been clenched into fists and he had looked towards the door as if he was planning an escape. 

Rick had been about to ask what was wrong, but had then decided against it. Instead he had manouvered them so that Cliff was on top of him. Cliff had visibly relaxed and the rest of the night had been pretty great.

Once the shoot was done Rick walked over to where Cliff was still on the ground. He had sat up, but was still tense. Rick knew that it had taken Cliff a lot of efford to stay down and not fight back against the other guy on top of him. Rick had been ready to intervene, but it hadn't been necessary.

"Come on, partner," Rick said and held out his hand. Cliff looked up at him. He rubbed the back of his neck, then he took Rick's hand and got up. "Thanks," he said and Rick knew what he meant. "Anytime," he said. 

Rick looked Cliff over. "You ok?" he asked. Cliff put his hand on his ribs and winced. "Yeah, I might need some ice, though." "Alright," Rick moved to go get some, but Cliff grabbed his arm. "Nah, it's not that bad. Let's go home." 

"Here you go," Rick said and handed Cliff an icepack. "Thanks." Cliff put the icepack on his side and leaned back on the couch. "You c-could've said s-something, you know," Rick said and sat down beside him. "Didn't seem like a big deal at the time," Cliff replied. 

They settled in and watched some tv. A new episode of Mission Impossible was on and Rick ordered a pizza. 

"Come on, let's go to bed," Rick blinked, but closed his eyes again. Then he almost had a heart attack when Cliff jabbed into his ribs. "Ow, you asshole!" Rick yelled and jumped to his feet. He was very very ticklish on his sides and Cliff knew that. And normaly he knew better than to poke Rick. 

Cliff laughed. "Aww, come on, buddy," he said. "You should see your face." "Alright, I'm up now. P-probably for the rest of m-my life. You happy?" Rick said, his heart was still pounding. 

"Ecstatic!" Cliff said and walked towards the bedroom. He had let Brandy out in the yard when Rick had been sleeping and now she was curled up on her favorite rug. Rick gave her a little pad and walked after Cliff.

Rick entered the bedroom just in time to see Cliff take off his shirt. "Man, that doesn't look g.good," Rick said looking at the big purple bruise that had formed on Cliff's right side. "Wow, that's hurtful, man. Listen, you reach a certain age and-" "Oh, shut up!" 

Rick wanted to be annoyed, but he still had to laugh. This was Cliff's thing. He was always taking care of Rick, but when their roles were reversed he tried to deflect and joke around. Like he was uncomfortable with someone being worried for him. 

"You sure you don't need to see a doctor?" Rick asked and took a closer look. "Yeah, I'm sure," Cliff said. Rick looked at him. Cliff looked back. After a while Cliff exhaled. "I promise, I'll let you know when it turns out worse than I thought." He moved to cross his arms, but stopped because of the pain and that made him look very annoyed and Rick had to laugh again. "Alright then."

\----------

A few weeks later Rick was almost done shooting his part. Everything had gone great. He even had another part all but lined up. Cliff's injury had turned out to be not as bad as it had looked. So, basically things were good. Except Rick felt bad.

He had woken up with a bad feeling and just couldn't shake it. And part of him knew that this was something that happened and that it didn't actually mean anything, but another part of him was convinced that the entire world was about to end any second now. It was stressful to say the least.

"You want some eggs?" Cliff asked. "Mmh, what?" Rick put down his coffee, he hadn't listened. Cliff turned around. "You want some eggs?" Rick didn't know what to say. Somehow having to answer this simple question seemed like too much. 

"Hey," Cliff said. Rick still didn't answer. Cliff walked over and Rick felt his hand on his shoulder. "You want to tell me what's going on?" he asked. After a moment Cliff sat down next to him. He put his arm over Rick's shoulder and pulled him closer. "It's ok," he said.

They sat like that for while. Cliff slowly rubbed Rick's arm and just waited. 

Eventually Rick rubbed his eyes. "It's fine. I'm fine," he said. He looked at Cliff. "Thanks." Cliff smiled. "Hey, anytime," he said. And Rick knew he meant it. 

They had gotten to a point where Cliff's mere presence could pull Rick out of one his panics and he didn't know what he would do without him. 

\----------

"We should g-go on a vacation," Rick said and lit another cigarette. They were sitting by the pool with some beers. Cliff looked around, looked at the pool and then looked at Rick. "As opposed to the hardship we have to endure here?"

"Oh, shut up!" Rick took a deep drag and started coughing. He spit next to his chair. "C-come on, we could go to P-palm Springs or something. Could be fun." Cliff drank some beer. He leaned back and was quiet for a while. "You mean like a honeymoon?" 

His tone was teasing, but there was something sincere in the way he said it. "Mmh." Rick thought for a while. "S-sure, I guess. Why not?" Cliff started grinning, one of his big grins that always made Rick feel all warm inside. "Why not indeed?"

\----------


	2. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cliff looked at him. "Don't worry, honey. We'll get there." Rick laughed and punched his shoulder. Cliff started the engine and away they went. 
> 
> Rick and Cliff on their way to Palm Springs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is turning into a longer story.

"How many shirts do I need to take?" Rick yelled from the bedroom. Cliff was drinking his coffee. He put down his mug and yelled back. "I thought you said the house has a pool." "Yeah, it does. S-so what?" "As far as I'm concerned you don't need to take any clothes at all."

"Very f-funny, man. And absolutely not helpful a-at all," came from the bedroom, as well as some mumbling. "What's that?" Cliff yelled. "N-never mind!" And more mumbling. Cliff picked up his mug again.

After a few more minutes Rick came into the kitchen. "Ok, I'm done. You d-done?" he asked. "Longer than I can remember," Cliff replied. He got up and before Rick could say anything he gave him a quick kiss on the lips. 

Then he grabbed Rick's suitcase and went for the door. "For f-fuck's sake, let me have some coffee first," Rick said. Cliff didn't stop. "We'll stop on the way," he said, grabbed his own suitcase with his other hand and walked outside.

Rick settled into the passenger seat and lit a cigrette. "You know the w-way, right?" "Yup." Rick flicked his lighter shut. "Alright, then." Cliff looked at him. "Don't worry, honey. We'll get there." Rick laughed and punched his shoulder. Cliff started the engine and away they went. 

\----------

"I really need some c-coffee now or I'm g-gonna fall asleep," Rick said and yawned. "Alright. I would have believed you without the theatrics, though," Cliff said. "You love my theatrics," Rick said and flicked his fourth or fifth cigarette out of the window.

They stopped at the next diner and went inside. "Order for me, will ya," Cliff said and walked towards the restroom. Rick sat down in a booth and looked at the menu. He ordered coffee for both of them, some eggs for himself and waffles for Cliff, because he knew that Cliff liked to eat something sweet in the morning.

"Does your girlfriend have a sweet tooth?" the waitress asked when she took his order. Rick didn't have a chance to answer, because at that moment Cliff sat down across from him. "She sure does," he said and winked at her. She looked startled but caught herself quickly. "Coming up," she said and left.

Rick leaned forward. "Are you f-fucking insane?" he whispered. Cliff laughed. "Aww, come on, man. Relax. People only see what they wanna see. She's just embarassed that she mistook the order for your friend or buddy or brother for the order for a woman." 

"Still, man," Rick said looking unhappy. "P-people also talk, you know." Cliff sighed. "Ok, man," he said. Then he leaned forward and whispered. "Whatever makes you happy, darling." Rick threw a handful napkins at him.

When the waitress returned with their order Cliff made a big deal out of looking her up and down. She put the waffles down in front of him. "Sorry about before," she said with a smile. "Oh, don't worry about it, sweetheart," Cliff said and gave her one of his best looks. "I've been called worse." She blushed and left.

Cliff looked after her. Then he turned back and saw himself faced with Rick staring at him and looking annoyed. "What?" he said. "Nothing," Rick said and started eating. Cliff picked up his coffee and looked at the ceiling. "Gosh darn it," he said. "Why can't I do anything right?" Rick laughed and almost choked on his eggs.

After they had paid Rick went to the restroom. He was washing his hands, looking down, when someone pushed up behind him and pressed his hips against the sink. He opened his mouth but a hand covered it up. 

He looked in the mirror and saw Cliff behind him grinning. Cliff bent his head a little and whispered in Ricks ear. "Looks like we got this place to ourselves here." He nuzzled Rick's neck and his hand that wasn't covering Rick's mouth was carassing Rick's hip.

Rick grabbed Cliff's arm and yanked it down. With his mouth free he hissed. "What is up w-with you t-today? Shit, you almost g-gave me a heart attack." He pushed backwards and turned around, facing Cliff.

Cliff was still grinning. "This is our honeymoon, is it not? Excuse me for wanting to get some." Rick raised his eyebrows. "In a public bathroom?" Cliff shrugged. "It's still over an hour drive," he said. He poked at Rick's chest. "You want a blowjob, or not?"

Rick rolled his eyes. "Of course, I do." He made sure the door was locked. "But hurry up." "My man," Cliff said as he got to his knees. "Such a romantic. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

\----------

Back on the road Cliff turned up the radio and they drove silently for a while. Rick thought about how he had suggested a vacation and how he had been surprised at Cliff wanting to go. He didn't know why he had been surprised.

He didn't doubt that Cliff loved him and wanted to be with him, but the concept of a honeymoon had still been something that had caught him off guard. Maybe because he hadn't really thought about how things had actually changed since the Hippie incident.

They had had this thing between them for years. Mostly unspoken and it had mostly worked. There had never been any doubt that it could end any time, though. Rick frowned. At least for him there hadn't. This had changed, of course. 

But maybe it hadn't changed for Cliff. Maybe for Cliff there had never been any doubt that it would stay the way it was. Maybe Cliff had known the entire time that marrying a woman would not be what Rick had hoped it would be.

Rick lit another cigarette. He was annoyed with himself. He shouldn't have been surprised at Cliff calling their vacation a honeymoon. After all that's what is was. He should have thought of it himself. Just because they couldn't get married or let anyone know, didn't mean they couldn't have a honeymoon.

"What are you worrying about?" Cliff asked. "Nothing," Rick said, flicking some ash out of the window. "Bullshit. You got that look. Whatever it is, the world isn't gonna end because of it." 

Rick took another drag of his cigarette. "I was j-just thinking that I really enjoy this honeymoon so f-far," he said. "And I ain't w-worried about nothing."

\-----------

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next stop: Palm Springs :)


	3. Palm Springs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Want me to carry you over the threshold?" Rick turned around and grinned. "I don't know, you wanna start the v-vacation with a hernia?"

"Here we are," Cliff said and turned off the engine. They got out of the car. Cliff let Brandy out and she started running around.

Rick grabbed their suitcases and walked towards the door. He put the suitcases down and searched for the keys. "You coming?" he asked as he opened the door. Brandy ran in straight away.

"I'm here," Cliff said from directly behind him. "Want me to carry you over the threshold?" Rick turned around and grinned. "I don't know, you wanna start the v-vacation with a hernia?" "Don't worry, I can take you," Cliff said.

And before Rick could protest Cliff gave him a hug and lifted him up just enough to carry him a few steps into the house. He put him down and kissed him. Rick kissed him back. They broke apart and Cliff went to get their stuff. He kicked the door shut behind him.

Rick went into the kitchen. It was fully stocked. He looked around a bit. There was plenty of booze like he had requested. He knew that Cliff would walk through every room now and memorize the entire layout of the place. It was best to just let him do that on his own.

After a few minutes Cliff walked into the kitchen. He put down a bowl with water for Brandy. Rick looked at him. "Everything to your l-liking?" he asked. 

He made it sound playful, but he knew that this was serious stuff for Cliff. Cliff leaned back against the counter. "It'll do," he said.

Rick grinned. "Glad t-to hear that." He walked towards Cliff. "So, you found the b-bedroom?" he asked. Cliff nodded. "Wanna show me?" "As a matter of fact, I do."

\----------

It was early afternoon. They were sitting by the pool. They had eaten some sandwiches and were now enjoying their drinks. 

"This was a good idea," Cliff said. Rick nodded. He remembered the first time Cliff had come over to his place way back when they had just met. 

Cliff had done a couple of horse stunts that day and during the last one the horse had gotten spooked and had managed to throw Cliff off. He had landed hard on his shoulder. What had made it worse had been a couple of rocks on the ground. 

Cliff had been down on the ground for a while, trying to catch his breath. When he had gotten up there had been blood seeping through his shirt. 

Rick had been there studying the stunt. He had walked towards Cliff. "Hey, m-man. You o-ok?" he had asked, ready to catch Cliff who had looked a little pale. "Yeah, I mean, I guess," Cliff had muttered. 

Other people had started coming and making a fuss. They had been crowding around Cliff and Rick had noticed how Cliff had started to look panicked. His eyes had darted around and he had looked even paler.

Rick didn't know why he had done what he had done next. "Ok, ok, he's f-fine. Give him s-some room. I'll take c-care of it," he had said and had slowly led Cliff away from the crowd and towards his trailer.

Rick had opened the door and ushered Cliff inside. "Sit down for a bit," he had said. "Can you take off your shirt?" Cliff had taken off the shirt, but had trouble with the undershirt. He had moved to pull it up, but had then winced. "Ok," Rick had said. "Try to lift your arms as high as you can." 

He had then pulled the shirt over Cliff's head. He had stopped for a moment, taking in the many many scars on Cliff's body. He had caught himself staring and quickly averted his eyes. "Ok, t-turn around a b-bit. Let me s-see." 

There had been a cut on Cliff's right shoulder blade, not very deep, but enough to bleed quite a bit. And it had been about four inches long. The area around it had had several smaller cuts and Rick had been able to see some bruises forming already.

"Yeah, s-sorry, buddy. That's g-gonna need stitches." Rick had grabbed one of his clean shirts and had given it to Cliff. "I'll d-drive you to the hospital."

Cliff had looked at him for a while, holding the shirt in his hand, not moving. He had cocked his head to the side. "Why are you doing this?" Rick had felt taken aback. "What d-do you mean?"

Cliff had kept looking at him. "Being nice. Helping me. This isn't your job. In fact, I fucked up my job. And yet here we are."

Rick had stared at him, trying to come up with an answer. He had considered joking, telling Cliff that he needed him in good condition so he wouldn't have to do his own stunts. 

But in the end he had decided to tell the truth, mostly. "I don't know. I think I should, I g-guess. You g-got a better offer I d-don't know about? If so, b-by all means." 

After a moment Cliff had smiled and started to put on the shirt. "Alright," he had said. "Let me get my stuff. I'll meet you in the parking lot."

Rick had planned on dropping Cliff off at the hospital but he had found himself waiting. And once Cliff had walked out he had asked him to come to his place for a drink. And Cliff had said yes.

And that evening had been the first time they had shared a drink sitting by Rick's pool. And it had felt good. It had felt like something that was right.

Next to him Cliff got up. "I'm gonna jump in the pool. you coming?" "In a second," Rick said. He watched Cliff walk to the pool. He could see the scar on Cliff's shoulder blade. That little thing that may have had started all of this.

Rick watched Cliff jump in and got up. He jumped in as well. 

\----------

"You remember that time you f-fucked up your shoulder and I d-drove you to the hospital?" Rick asked. They were in the kitchen. Cliff was looking through the cabinets, trying to decide if they'd cook something or just go out for dinner.

"You drove me somewhere? Must have been a long time ago," he said, closing one cabinet and opening another. 

"I'm s-serious." Cliff closed the other cabinet and turned around. He leaned against the counter. "Of course, I do. You drove me to the ER and we had some drinks after that at your place." 

"Why'd you let me do that?" Rick asked. He didn't know what he expected Cliff to say, but it wasn't this. "Because I liked you." Cliff paused. Then he smirked. "I figured this might be my shot to get to know you, so I took it. Good thing I did, I must say."

Rick smiled. "I agree." Cliff nodded. "What made you think of that? That was quite a while ago." Rick shrugged. "I don't know. I g-guess with all that's happened I've been thinking a lot lately."

"About?" Rick scratched his neck. "About us, I guess. That it's b-been years. And that we're still here. So t-to speak."

"If it hadn't been for those crazy hippie motherfuckers we probably wouldn't be here. Maybe you would, but not with me." 

Rick felt a sudden jolt of panic. Cliff had sounded almost angry for a second and he couldn't even remember the last time that had happenend. Cliff never lost his cool. Cliff always kept a level head. This was new.

"I'm s-sorry," Rick said. "I really am." He found it difficult to look at Cliff. He was afraid of what he might see there. "I really should have s-said so earlier."

He finally found the courage to look at Cliff and felt a bit of relief. He didn't see any anger. But he didn't see the usual warmth either. He saw Cliff patiently waiting for him to figure out what he wanted to say. 

"I guess, I figured that we were just having f-fun, but that it w-wouldn't be something actually real, you know." He paused. "And then I saw you unconcious on the floor and I thought you were d-dead. And I knew that I was a-a stupid asshole and should h-have known better."

He smiled. "Francesca knew, y-you know. I think she may have had f-figured it out even b-before that, but she d-definitely knew then. That's why she left."

"And now?" Cliff asked. "What do you mean?" Rick frowned. "What do you think now?" Cliff asked. "Do you think this is something real? Something that'll last?" 

Rick felt himself starting to tear up and he fought it. "Yeah, I do," he said. 

Cliff shook his head but he was smiling. "Oh man," he said. "I don't know why I didn't see this coming. I just knew I liked you pretty much since the first time we met. And I never thought about how long that might last or whatever. But Hollywood superstar Rick fucking Dalton needs to see someone lying in a pool of their own blood to come to the same conclusion." 

He grinned at Rick now. Rick had to laugh. "Well," he said. "You're n-not wrong."

Cliff walked up to Rick and kissed him. "I think we should go out for dinner," he said. "This is our honeymoon after all."

\----------


	4. Home Sweet Home (Eventually)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ok, y-you were right," he said. Cliff grinned. "Did that hurt?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update. Life has been busy. I had to finish some vid projects, because I need a new computer soon and my software won't work on the new one. I haven't even had time to read fanfic lately, but that should change now. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy.

They enjoyed their time in Palm Springs. They didn't actually do anything all that special and yet Rick felt as though something had changed. 

Ever since their time in the kitchen he felt a bit different, kind of relieved. Not that he had been overly worried before. Well, not more than was normal for him anyway. But somehow he was more relaxed and at ease overall.

And he strongly suspected that the same was true for Cliff. Cliff didn't seem all that different during the course of the day, but there had been fewer nightmares. And when there had been one it hadn't taken all that long for Cliff to come out of it.

"Ready to leave all of this behind and once again deal with the harsh and unforgiving reality of everyday life?" Cliff asked on their last evening. They were sitting by the pool again.

Rick looked over at him and grinned. "And I'm the d-drama queen," he said. Followed by an "Ow, you asshole," when Cliff punched his arm. 

"You made me spill my b-beer all over myself." "Oh, I'm so sorry. You want me to lick it off?"

Despite being annoyed Rick had to laugh. "Well, it's the l-least you can d-do!"

\------------

"Come on, girl," Cliff said. Brandy jumped on the backseat of the car and he shut the door. Rick shut the trunk. "Ready?" Cliff asked.

Rick hesitated. "You know, I can d-drive, if you w-want," he said. Cliff waited. "I- I mean," Rick continued "If you want t-to sit back for a change, you know, that w-would be ok."

"You know I like driving you around," Cliff said. "It's not just that I don't mind. I really like it."

"I know, I know," Rick said. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to figure out what to say. "But I mean, you d-don't always have to be the one who has t-to take care of everything. Of me. I can also t-take care of things. Of you. You know."

Cliff took off his glasses and smiled. "I appreciate that. And I'm fine with you taking the wheel now and then." Rick smiled. "Alright."

Cliff opened the driver's side door. "But I'm driving now. You can practise when we're back home." He got in.

Rick rolled his eyes a bit and walked towards the passenger's side door.

\----------

"Wake up!" Rick flinched and sat up. "We're home?" he asked and rubbed his eyes.

"Not exactly," Cliff said. Rick looked around. His eyes widened. "Is that-?" "Yup. Spahn movie ranch." Cliff opened his door. "I thought this would be the perfect ending to our honeymoon." He got out of the car and let Brandy out. 

Rick stayed in his seat. Cliff walked around the car and opened Rick's door. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

"For hell to f-freeze over!" Rick spat out. "You know I never wanted to set f-foot here again." "I know, I know. But I think that's bullshit."

"Fuck you! I'm not g-getting out of this c-car!" "Oh, for fuck's sake," Cliff rolled his eyes. "Don't be such a fucking baby! Get out. Let's walk around a bit. You'll thank me."

"I doubt it," Rick muttered but he still got out. He lit a cigarette. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd ever wanna see this p-place again, either."

Cliff shrugged. "This wasn't that bad. I beat a hippie asshole's face in. And I got to see George, so."

Rick looked at him. "And then these hippie a-assholes almost m-murdered us. That doesn't bother you? Because sometimes I'm p-pretty sure that still bothers you." 

Cliff opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked taken aback. This was the first time Rick had almost spoken about the nightmares. He also lit a cigarette and it took him a while to do so. Rick waited.

Cliff took a drag and exhaled. "Well," he said. "They didn't do it here. And we had some good times here. Even if you only wanna focus on the bad stuff."

Rick sighed. "It just reminds me of when it all t-turned to shit. When I thought I'd b-be a movie star and nothing really came of it."

"I get that." Cliff nudged him and they started walking. "But it's not all shit anymore. I'd even say it never was, but whatever. I know you think differently and that's fine."

"So, George s-still lives here?" Rick asked. "No, after the shit went down, they took him to some nursing home." Cliff dropped his cigarette and stepped on it. "He was pretty out of it, when I saw him. His mind is gone basically."

They walked across the ranch for a while, not talking much. Rick started to feel more at ease and couldn't help but think that Cliff may have been right. This wasn't nearly as bad as he had made it out to be in his mind. 

When they arrived back at the car Rick crossed his arms and faced Cliff. "Ok, y-you were right," he said. Cliff grinned. "Did that hurt?" he asked. Rick punched his shoulder. "Don't make me r-regret this." 

He went on. "I appreciate this. And y-you know, you can tell me things that upset you, r-right?" He saw Cliff's eyes starting to dart around, the way they did when he was looking for a way out.

He put his hand on Cliff's arm. "I mean, if y-you want. No p-pressure, ok?" After a while Cliff nodded. Rick smiled and kissed him. "I mean, we're in this t-together, right?"

"Of course, we are." Cliff kissed him back. 

"Let's go home," Rick said. Cliff whistled and Brandy came running towards him. He opened the car door and she jumped in. They got into the car and Cliff started the engine.

Rick looked into the rear view mirror until Spahn movie ranch had disappeared completely. Then he focused on the road ahead.

\----------


End file.
